A Glossary of Creole & Zydeco Terms
Accordion:
The accordion was invented in 1829 and the word is derived from the German word "akkord"
which means "agreement or harmony." The button (diatonic and chromatic) and the piano key accordions are
both used in zydeco music to provide the melody. The accordion is an old world instrument and used in native,
indigenous and folk music all over the globe. The German settlers introduced it to the Creoles in Louisiana after
the Civil War. Terrance likes to play Hohner accordions and has an artist endorsement with the Hohner USA.
Our friends at Hohner love zydeco music and they have been very good to Louisiana. Terrance has an
endorsement with Hohner in which they support him and he supports them by playing their instruments and
talking about how much he loves the product and the company!
Creole:
A native Creole of Louisiana is considered a multicultural and multiracial African American. The term
“mixed race” is now commonly used to describe people who are black and white and/or other racial ethnicities.
Louisiana Creole heritage is a rich tapestry of African, French, Spanish, German and Native American ancestry.
The word Creole is French and it was borrowed from the Spanish word Criollo that was taken from the
Portuguese word Crioulo. Experts say the Creoles are part of one of “the most complex rural sub-cultures in
North America”. During the Code Noir period (1724-1865) they were called “gens de couleur libres” meaning
“free people of color”. The Creole culture of Louisiana shares an important and proud history with the west
African countries of Mali and Senegal as shown on the Creole Fla. Research has indicated that the majority of
the Africans who settled Louisiana were from Senegal and Mali. Many refer to Creole Louisiana as the “Northern
Rim of the Caribbean” because of our cultural and historical connections to Haiti as well. Terms like Afro-Creole
have also been used to describe Louisiana Creole.
Zydeco: The indigenous music of the black and multiracial French speaking Creoles of Louisiana. The origin
of the word is African. Zari, zariko, zodico and zai’co laga laga all meaning “dance” or “to dance.” There are
1000 different African languages, so there are many different words similar to our Zydeco word. Common
folklore in Louisiana tells the tale that the word is a language corruption of the phrase “les haricot sont pas sale”,
meaning “the snap beans are not salty”, describing the hardships of the rural Creoles during the early 1900’s
when they were economically oppressed and couldn't afford salt for their food. Spoken very quickly, “les haricot”
could sound like the word zydeco. We favor the academic language interpretation! Opelousas, Louisiana is the
“World Capital of Zydeco”.
Zydeco Rubboard (also known as a frottoir) This percussion instrument is the second main
instrument, next to the accordion, in zydeco. It was designed and created in 1946 specifically for Zydeco music.
It is fashioned after the washboard that was used to wash clothing and then later used in early American roots
music. The Zydeco Rubboard is part of the percussion collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of
American History in Washington, DC as one of the few percussion instruments that originate in the United States
as most musical (especially percussion) instruments originate in other countries. The French word for rubboard is
frottoir. It means m means friction strip, like on a box of matches.
Creole Flag of South Louisiana: Designed in 1981 the West African heritage of the Creoles is
represented by the Star of Senegal flag and the Mali Republic tri colored flag. The French heritage of the Creoles
is indicated by the Fleur De Lis and the Spanish Colonial heritage is represented by The Tower of Castille.
Gumbo: This comes from the African word for “okra”. It is a stew that was once thickened by only using okra
by the Africans who settled in Louisiana. It is a world famous Creole culinary favorite and is also thickened with
“roux”, a flour and oil mixture.
Mardi Gras: This is a holiday that is celebrated before Ash Wednesday and Lent by Catholics mainly in
Brazil and Louisiana. It is a French phrase and translates to “Fat Tuesday” in English. Mardi: Tuesday and
Gras: Fat. The traditional colours of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. They symbolize justice (purple),
faith (green) and power. (gold). The reason it is called Fat Tuesday is because in medieval France a fattened bull
was butchered the day before Lent for the people to feast on one last time before Ash Wednesday, the start of
Lent, when eating meat was forbidden.
Louisiana: Nickname, The Pelican State, is the 18th state to enter the Union in 1812. It became an
organized territory in 1804 after the Louisiana Purchase (from France) in 1803. It is located in the “Deep South”
of the United States and it borders the Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi. The capital is Baton
Rouge. Top industries are natural gas, salt, petroleum and sulfur production. Louisiana produces sweet
potatoes, sugar cane, rice, crawfish and pecans. Tourism is the second largest industry and millions visit us each
year for our Creole cuisine, our zydeco, funk, gospel, jazz and blues music. All are important southern black
music traditions that have helped shape the musical landscape of this state and our country!